The 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women came to a close Monday in Islamabad, with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation calling on its member nations to bolster women’s roles in politics, the economy, education, and broader society.
Among the most striking elements of the conference’s final document, known as the Islamabad Declaration, was a pointed reference to Afghanistan. The declaration expressed serious concern about ongoing restrictions on girls’ schooling and women’s ability to work, characterizing those restrictions as contrary to Islamic values. It called for the elimination of educational and professional barriers so that Afghan women and girls can participate fully and equally in public life.
The declaration also reaffirmed the OIC’s wider commitment to advancing women’s social, economic, and political standing across the Muslim world. It stated that “the empowerment of women and girls is essential to the progress, resilience and prosperity of OIC societies,” and described investments in women’s education, skills, leadership, protection, and economic participation as “an investment in the future of the Ummah.”
The conference, held under the theme “Socio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward,” drew more than 190 delegates and participants — among them ministers, senior government officials, and representatives from all 57 OIC member states. Discussions centered on women’s education, economic involvement, social inclusion, and empowerment within an Islamic framework.
OIC Assistant Secretary-General Tarig Ali Bakheet, delivering remarks on behalf of OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, stressed that lifting up women must be treated as a top priority requiring dedicated resources and genuine political will. He cautioned that passing conference resolutions is not enough, emphasizing that real change depends on sustained cooperation, adequate funding, and firm political commitment.
Pakistan’s federal minister for law, justice and human rights, Azam Nazeer Tarar, took on the chairmanship of the conference and reaffirmed his country’s dedication to advancing women’s empowerment across the Muslim world through joint action. He told attendees that women’s empowerment is “not only a social imperative but also an economic necessity, a governance priority and a cornerstone of sustainable development.”
Women’s Development Organization Executive Director Sarah Al-Shoura spoke about her organization’s work to build cooperation among member states and promote policies that expand women’s access to education, economic opportunity, and leadership positions.
One of the conference’s most notable moments was the attendance of a Syrian delegation led by Syria’s minister of social affairs and labour, Hind Kabawat. Her presence marked Syria’s first participation in the OIC Ministerial Conference on Women in 14 years, following a lengthy period of isolation. Kabawat described Syria’s involvement as an important step toward rebuilding the country’s international engagement. The Syrian Arab News Agency quoted her as saying that Syria’s participation offers a valuable opportunity for expanded cooperation and the sharing of expertise with other attending nations.
The gathering took place against a backdrop of ongoing concern over women’s rights in several Muslim-majority countries. Since the Taliban reclaimed power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls there have faced sweeping restrictions — including bans on secondary and higher education, severe limits on employment, and travel rules requiring a male guardian.
Although Afghanistan received an invitation to attend the conference, no official Taliban government delegation showed up. A small number of Afghan women living in exile did attend, but only in their personal capacities rather than as official representatives.
When The Media Line reached out to Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid for comment on Afghanistan’s decision to skip the conference and on the state of women’s rights in the country, he did not address those questions directly. Instead, Mujahid said, “Islam has made it obligatory to ensure women’s rights, including inheritance, marriage, protection from forced marriage, and dignity and honor in society.” He claimed that Afghan women had long been denied those rights and asserted that since returning to power, the Islamic Emirate had restored them, adding that it remained committed to upholding all rights prescribed for Muslim women under Islamic Sharia.
Pakistani officials kept the situation facing Afghan women front and center throughout the conference. Pakistan’s minister of state for law and justice, Aqeel Malik, called the circumstances confronting women and girls in Afghanistan “an alarming” test of the Muslim world’s collective conscience. In an interview with Saudi-based Arab News, Malik said, “You really need to see the plight of those girls in Afghanistan because they are banned from attending schools and classes. This is an alarming situation.” He argued that the OIC should leverage its collective diplomatic influence to push for meaningful change.
Tahmina Safi, a former judge of the Afghan Supreme Court, told The Media Line that Islam grants women and men equal fundamental rights — including dignity, education, property, inheritance, financial independence, and the right to consent in marriage, employment, and public participation. She noted that while the Taliban claim their policies are rooted in Sharia, many prominent Muslim scholars believe the group’s treatment of women runs counter to Islamic teachings and established principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
Safi further argued that the Taliban’s documented record of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and systematic repression — as recorded by the United Nations — cannot be squared with Islamic principles. “Unfortunately,” she said, “the Taliban have no female officials capable of representing the rights, interests, and perspectives of Afghan women who believe in the equal rights granted to them by Islam at conferences dedicated to women’s rights in Islam.”
Safi also noted that OIC member states, including Pakistan, do not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers. “Inviting them to participate in such meetings indirectly signals the OIC’s support for the Taliban,” she added. She suggested that the OIC should instead engage directly with Afghan women scholars, judges, diplomats, and civil society leaders living in exile, and that a willing OIC member state could help establish a legitimate Afghan representative office in exile while supporting an inclusive Afghan-led political process.
Nazifa Jalali, a Norway-based Afghan Muslim scholar and director of Dialogue Hub for Common Ground, told The Media Line that “it is essential to distinguish between Islam and the policies of the Taliban.” She pointed out that throughout Islamic history, women have served as scholars, educators, business leaders, and active participants in public life. Under Taliban rule, she argued, women and girls have been systematically stripped of education, employment, freedom of movement, and other basic rights.
Jalali noted that UN experts, the European Union, and international human rights advocates have described the situation in Afghanistan as gender apartheid — a term reflecting systematic and institutionalized discrimination. She added that women who have peacefully demanded their rights have faced arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, intimidation, and violent crackdowns, with documented cases showing Taliban forces using lethal force against protesters and civilians.
Jalali emphasized that OIC member states, prominent Islamic scholars, and religious institutions have repeatedly urged the Taliban to restore girls’ education, women’s right to work, and their full participation in society — demonstrating, she said, that the Taliban’s interpretation is neither universally accepted nor representative of Islam. She concluded that the international community, including the OIC, has both a moral and political responsibility to continue standing up for Afghan women, and that doing so aligns with Islam’s core values of justice, human dignity, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Dure Shawar, a prominent female entrepreneur from Lahore who attended the OIC summit, described the Islamabad conference as a meaningful opportunity to deepen cooperation on women’s empowerment throughout the Muslim world. She argued that economic empowerment forms the foundation of genuine inclusion, saying that women with greater access to education, vocational training, financing, and business opportunities are better positioned to drive economic growth and social progress.
Shawar maintained that the Islamabad Declaration should be seen as the starting point of a long-term effort rather than a finished product, stressing that its real value would depend on whether member states turn their pledges into concrete reforms that remove barriers for women entrepreneurs, professionals, and future leaders. She added that stronger collaboration among OIC countries could open new doors for women-led businesses through investment partnerships, regional trade, and knowledge sharing, and that sustained political commitment could make the conference a landmark moment for women’s empowerment across the Muslim world.
